Antoine Dupont said France will not talk about their chances of a Six Nations Grand Slam until they’ve dealt with the threat posed by Scotland in the next round.
France top the Six Nations table after backing up last week’s success against Italy with a win against Ireland in Paris on Saturday. They will make the trip to Scotland on February 26.
“We’re not going to talk about a Grand Slam for now,” the France captain told reporters. “We’re going to concentrate on the next match, the challenge we’re expecting.”
Les Bleus have finished runners up in the tournament on the past two occasions, with losses to Scotland proving costly in both editions.
After the visit to Murrayfield they will head to Wales on 11 March before hosting England on the final day of the competition.
“I think we have all learnt from the last two editions where we maybe lost the tournament after defeats to Scotland,” said Dupont.
“We know their team well. We will prepare this match, hoping we will be able to play for something nice in a months’ time.”
Dupont’s club and Test teammate Thibaud Flament warned against thinking too far ahead despite his side having lost just once at home since head coach Fabien Galthie took over after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
One of those victories included November’s success over New Zealand, a little over two years from the opening game of the 2023 World Cup, held in France.
“It’s correct that we have good energy. The squad feeds off that energy,” he said. “We feel from the inside that something is happening but we can’t go overboard.”
© Agence France-Presse
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